BEST IN TECH 2021: As society has made a cautious return to normality this year, so have artists and producers. Stepping back into reopened studios, kicking off long-postponed tours and drawing on the inspiration provided by a reunion with the complexities of life outside our homes, musicians have returned full of ideas and as creatively adventurous as ever.
Out of great ideas, come great tracks - and there's been no shortage this year. In dance music, house and techno have been taken down a peg or two by a resurgence of the slinkier sounds of DnB and jungle, with Sully's face-melting 5ives leading the charge.
Rap, grime and hip-hop all continue to evolve at lightspeed, thanks to genius collaborations between Dave and James Blake, and Headie One and Fred Again. Elsewhere, Overmono elevate the art of the rave-ready vocal hook, while Charli XCX and Bruno Mars provide ample evidence for those who maintain that the best production is invariably found in pop music.
Take a look through our picks of the best produced tracks of the year, and cast your vote below.
Voting closes at midnight on 5 December.
“It didn’t even represent what we were doing. Even the guitar solo has no business being in that song”: Gwen Stefani on the No Doubt song that “changed everything” after it became their biggest hit
"There was water dripping onto the gear and we got interrupted by a cave diver": How Mandy, Indiana recorded their debut album in caves, crypts and shopping malls
“It didn’t even represent what we were doing. Even the guitar solo has no business being in that song”: Gwen Stefani on the No Doubt song that “changed everything” after it became their biggest hit
"There was water dripping onto the gear and we got interrupted by a cave diver": How Mandy, Indiana recorded their debut album in caves, crypts and shopping malls
